The overall commander of the Ottoman Army on the Gallipoli peninsula was General Otto Liman von Sanders, a German. Mustafa Kemal, later known as Atatürk, was the young commander of the Ottoman 19th Division. Kemal played a crucial role in defending Ottoman positions on 25 April 1915 and later led the Ottoman counter-attacks to recapture Chunuk Bair during the Sari Bair offensive. 

Throughout the Gallipoli campaign, Turkish troops received little or no pay, and many fought in bare feet. In desperation, they took boots and clothes off dead Allied soldiers. Others used material from sandbags to patch their uniforms. There were shortages of food and medical supplies amongst Ottoman troops, and serious wounds often resulted in death. 

A group of Turkish soldiers in a deep trench with one soldier cutting another's hair. This is probably a reserve trench as some of the soldiers are not armed.
A group of Turkish soldiers in a deep trench with one soldier cutting another's hair. This is probably a reserve trench as some of the soldiers are not armed.
Credits

Australian War Memorial H13569 http://www.awm.gov.au/collection/H13569/

 

Like the Allies, the Ottoman Army also faced problems evacuating their wounded from Anzac. With limited medical facilities on Gallipoli, wounded Ottoman soldiers had to be sent to hospital ships on the other side of the peninsula. This trip could last 8–10 hours and many Ottoman soldiers died waiting for evacuation. Transportation improved later in the campaign.

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Most of the Ottoman Army were illiterate, with only five percent able to read or write. Those soldiers who could read and write sent letters home, and eagerly awaited letters in return. The longest Turkish letter to survive the Gallipoli campaign battle is from Captain Mehmet Tevfik to his parents. ‘I am writing these lines so you will have something to remember me by,’ wrote Tevfik from Anzac on 31 May 1915. ‘You, as my parents, did all you could to raise me and make it possible for me to serve my country and my people. But, I do not hope to survive future battles in which I will fight.’ Tevfik was killed two weeks later.

Ataturk (Mustafa Kemal), uses a motor vehicle to inspect Turkish defences on the perimeter.
Ataturk (Mustafa Kemal), uses a motor vehicle to inspect Turkish defences on the perimeter.
Credits

Australian War Memorial A05288 http://www.awm.gov.au/collection/A05288/

 

After the Ottoman Army was defeated, an Armistice was declared in October 1918. Mustafa Kemal then became leader of Turkish nationalist forces in the post-war conflicts that ensued. These conflicts resulted in the establishment of the Republic of Turkey. Mustafa Kemal became the first president of Turkey in 1923.

In 1934, Mustafa Kemal wrote a tribute to the Anzacs killed at Gallipoli. It includes the lines ‘You, the mothers who sent their sons from faraway countries wipe away your tears; your sons are now lying in our bosom and are in peace. After having lost their lives on this land, they have become our sons as well.’